The Hot School Meals programme is set to be significantly expanded this year.

Some 35,000 students across 189 schools will benefit from hot meals - an almost 5 fold increase on the number last year.

Five primary schools in Mayo are to benefit from the programme, according to Mayo Fine Gael deputy Michael Ring.

He says the Hot Meals Programme is a major initiative to encourage school attendance and consequently can facilitate better educational outcomes for children  

The schools in Mayo selected for the Hot Schools Programme are:-